Slub catcher



July 31, 1934. R FASSETT 1,968,676

SLUB CATCHER Filed March 4, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY 545 in front of the stationary plate omitted and the Patented July 31, 1934 PATENT OFFICE SLUB CATCHER George R. lfassett, Atlanta,

Eclipse Textile Devices, Inc., corporation of New York Ga., assignor to Elmira, N. Y., a

Application March 4,1930, Serial No. 433,026

12 Claims.

This invention relates to slub catchers for detecting slubs or other bunches or enlargements on a traveling yarn and breaking them out of the yarn.

To detect and break out slubs, it has heretofore been customary to draw a yarn through a slot formed between two parallel blade edges. This arrangement has the disadvantage of being irregular in action, since comparatively large slubs which either are soft or happen to be turned in a direction parallel to the slot pass through the slot without breaking the yarn while smaller slubs or projections which happen to be turned across the, slot catch and break the yarn.

- To avoid this irregularity of action, the yarn is, in accordance with my invention, drawn through a hole or eye, so that it; is completely surrounded. A part of the periphery of the eye is formed by a sharp cutting edge. With this arrangement,

- the size of the eye accurately determinesthe size of the slubs which will cause a breaking of the yarn.

. To pass the yarn through an ordinary hole or eye would involve serious inconveniences, owing to the difliculty of threading and the fact that the size of the eye could not be adjustably varied to meet difierent conditions. These inconveniences are avoided in accordance with my invention, by providing an eye having a part; of its periphery formed by the edge of one member and the rest of its periphery formed by an edge of another member which lies close against the first member and is so connected to it that the size of the eye may be adjusted and that the eye may be opened for threading without disturbing the adjustment.

In order that my invention may clearly be understood, I will describe in detail the specific embodiments of it which are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1 to '7 illustrate a slub catcher for use with a winder and Figs. 8 to 13 illustrate a'slub catcher for use with aspooler.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the first slub catcher; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the parts pivots in section; Fig. 3 is a back elevation; Fig. 4 is a plan view; Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical transverse sections taken on the lines 5-5 and 6-6 of Fig.2 respectively; and Fig. '7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

' Figs. 8 and 9 are front elevations of the second slub catcher showing different adjustments of the size of the eye; Fig. 10 is a plan view; Fig. 11 is a back elevation; Fig. 12 isa back elevation sectioned on the line 12-12 of Fig. 10 and indicating in dotted lines the position of the movable plate during threading; and Fig. 13 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 8.

Each of the slub catchers illustrated provides a closed eye E, defined by the edge of a flaring notch in a stationary member and an edge of an adjacent movable member. Both the stationary member and the movable member most desirably have the form of flat plates, and the eyedefining edge of at least one of the plates is sharp.

In the first slub catcher shown in Figs. 1 to 7, the stationary plate A is provided with an olfset bracket A1 which may be mounded on the frame of a winder so as to hold the plate A in a vertical position. The edge of the plate A is formed to provide a V-shaped notch A3-and an inclined cam edge A4 to direct a yarn into the notch A3. A projection A5 provides a converging thread-guiding surface A6 for directing slubs into the notch.

The movable plate B contains a recess B1, one side of which provides a sharp substantially straight edge B3 which crosses the notch A3 of the fixed plate A and cooperates therewith to provide the closed eye E. After crossing the notch, the edge of the plate B extends back across the cam-forming edge A4 of the plate A to provide a cam edge B4 inclined to and overlaping the cam edge A4.

The fixed and movableplates A and B have an adjustable pivotal connection provided through a flat lever C which lies against the front side of the fixed plate A. The lever C is fulcrumed to the fixed plate A by a pivot AC. The movable plate B is pivoted to the lever C by a pivot BC, which serves also to connect the movable plate B with a strengthening plate B5 lying against the outer side of the lever C. The plates B and B5 are also connected by a rivet B6 carrying a spacing sleeve B7. The pivot BC passes through an enlarged hole A7 in the plate A so as not to interfere with turning of the lever 0 about its fulcrum AC. Such turning is, however, limited by a pin and slot connection between the end of the lever C and the fixed plate A which in this instance, includes an arcuate slot A8 in the plate A and a headed screw C1 secured in a tapped hole at the end of the lever C, By tightening this screw, the lever C may be locked to the plate A when the screw is in any part of the slot A8.

" It should be noted that the relative position of the pivots AC and BC is such that the pivot BC is located beyond the inner end of the notch A3, and may be adjusted towards and away from the inner end of the notch. The pivot BC is also directly opposite the edge B3 of the plate B, so that this adjusting movement is in a direc tion transverse to the edge B3. To open the eye for threading, the movable plate B may be turned about the pivot BC against the yielding force of gravity, thus moving its edge B3 in a direction transverse to the adjusting movement of the pivot BC. Downward turning of the plate B about the pivot BC is arrested in the normal position of the parts shown in the drawings by any convenient stop, for example, by engagement of the lower edge of the plate B5 with the projection A5 of the plate A.

In using the slub catcher which has been described the size of the eye E is first'adjusted to the size of the slubs which it is desired to catch by moving the screw C1 in the slot A8, thus turning the lever C- about its fulcrum AC and moving the pivot 130 towards or away from W the notch A3 until this notch and the edge B3 define an eye of the desired size.

The screw-C1 is then tightened. The device is threaded by drawing the yarn into the recess between the overlapping cam edges A4 and B4. This raises the plate B and permits the yarn to enter the notch A3, whereupon the plate B falls to its normal position so that the yarn is enclosed in the eye E formed by the notch A3 of the edge B3. During the operation of the device, all

,, slubs of the size for which the eye has been set are caught in the eye.

Such slubs are somewhat compacted by the inwardly tapering surface A6, and are then brought against the sharp edge B3 which immediately cuts the yarn, notifying the n operator of the presence of the slub. After the 49 slub has been broken out and the yarn tied, the slub catcher is re-threaded by merely drawing the thread into the recess between the cam surfaces A i and B4 as before.

The second slub catcher, shown in Figs. 8 to 13, is the same in principle and operation as that already described. The following specific differences between the two forms may be noted: The attachment means A1, A2 of the second slub catcher differ from that of the first in order 7 to adapt the second slub catcher for mounting on a spooler. The strengthening plate B5 of the first slub catcher is omitted inthe second slub catcher where it would be unnecessary, as the second slub catcher, being somewhat smaller 7 than the first, may be made sufiiciently strong without this plate. The yielding force resisting eye-opening movement of the movable plate B is provided in the second slub catcher by a spring S, instead of by gravity. The arresting of the movable plate in its normal position is secured in the second slub catcher by engagement of the lower corner B8 of this plate with the attachment plate Al, the eifect being equivalent to the engagement of the strengthening plate B5 with the projection A5 in the first slub catcher. The projection A5 is omitted in the second slub catcher and the converging slubguiding surface A6"is provided directly on the fixed plate A1 at the inner end of the notch A3.

What I claim is:

1. A slub catcher, comprising a member having a recess with flaring side edges, a second member having an edge extending across said recess to define a closed eye, said second member being held against movement in a direction transverse to its said edge and being movable against a yielding force in a direction transverse to first said direction to open the eye for entrance of a thread and having a thread-engaging part against which a thread may bear to cause such eye-opening movement.

2.. A slub catcher, comprising a member having a recess with flaring side-edges, a second member overlapping the first member and having an edge extending across said recess to define. a closed eye, means for holding said members against relative separating movement, one of said members being adjustable in a direction transverse. to the edge of the second member for varying the size of the thread opening and normally held against movement in said direction, and the second member being movable against a yielding force in a direction transverse to said direction to open the eye for entrance of a thread.

3. A slub catcher, comprising a member having a recess with flaring side edges, a second member having an edge extending across said recessto define a closed eye, one of said'members being adjustable in a direction transverse to the edge of the second member for varying the size of the thread opening and normally held against movement in said direction, the second member being movable against a yielding force in a direction transverse to said direction to open the eye for entrance of a thread, and said members having coacting cam faces adapted for engagement by a thread drawn sidewise toward the eye whereby the second member is given its eyeopening movement by the pressure of the thread. 4. A slub catcher, comprising two members mounted for'relative adjusting movement and having edges coacting to form a thread eye the size of which may be varied by said adjusting movement, means for normally preventing such movement, means for holding said members against relative separating'movement, and means permitting relative sliding movement between said members-against a yielding force in a direction transverse to said adjusting movement to open the eye for entrance of a thread.

5. A slub catcher, comprising two members mounted for relative adjusting movement and having edges coacting to form a thread eye the size of which may be varied by said adjusting movement, means for normally preventing such movement, means permitting relative movement between said members against a yielding force in a direct-ion transverse to said adjusting movement to open the eye for entrance of a thread, and said members having thread-engaging parts against which a thread may bear to cause such eye-opening relative movement.

6. A slub catcher, comprising a first'plate containing a recess, a second plate adjacent tothe first plate and having an edge adapted to cooperate with the recess in the first plate to define a closed eye, and a pivot connection between said plates secured to the first plate beyond the inner end of the recess therein and secured to the second plate opposite the aforesaid edge thereof.

'7. A slub catcher; comprising a first plate containing a recess, asecond plate adjacent to the first plate and having an edge adapted to cooperate with the recess in the first plate to define a closed eye, a pivot engaging the second plate at a point opposite said ,edge thereof, and means securing said pivot to the first plate beyond the 'inner'end of the recess therein and adjustable to permit movement of the pivot towards and away from the inner end of said recess to vary the size of said eye.

8. A slub catcher, comprising a first plate containing a recess, a second plate adjacent to the first plate and containing a recess, one side edge of which is adapted to cooperate with the recess of the first plate to define a closed eye, and a pivot connection between said plates secured to the first plate beyond the inner end of the recess therein and engaging the second plate at the side of the recess therein opposite to the aforesaid side edge of said recess.

9. A slub catcher, comprising two adjacent eye-forming plates and an adjustable pivot connection between them comprising a fiat lever pivoted to the two plates respectively at spaced points, and adjustable means for securing one end of the lever to one of the plates to prevent it from turning about the pivot connecting it with that plate.

10. A slub catcher, comprising a fixed plate, a movable plate adjacent to one side of the fixed plate and cooperating therewith to form an eye, a flat lever adjacent to the other side of the fixed plate, a pivot connecting a point of said lever with the fixed plate, a pivot connecting a spaced point of said lever with the movable plate and passing through an enlarged opening in the fixed plate, and a connection between the end of the lever and the fixed plate comprising an arcuate slot in one of these parts, a pin in the other of these parts, and means for locking said pin in any point of said slot.

11. A slub catcher, comprising a fixed plate, a movable plate adjacent to one side of the fixed plate and cooperating therewith to provide an eye, a flat lever adjacent to the other side of the fixed plate, a strengthening plate secured to the movable plate and adjacent to the outer side of the lever, a pivot connecting a point of the lever to the fixed plate, a pivot connecting a spaced point of the lever to the movable plate and the strengthening plate, said pivot passing through an enlarged opening in the fixed plate, and an adjustable connection between the end of the lever and the fixed plate.

12. A slub catcher, comprising two adjacent relatively movable plates, of which one has an edge containing a recess and providing a cam surface inclined away from said recess, and the other has an edge crossing said recess to define a closed eye and extending back obliquely across said cam surface to provide a cooperating cam surface permitting a thread to open the eye.

GEORGE E. FASSETT. 

